The 2008 ice melt continues. Researchers at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center have announced that satellite photos reveal that an 11 square mile piece of ice (about half the size of Manhattan) broke off Greenland's Petermann Glacier in late July of this year. The breakup actually took place just a few days before the collapse of 7 square miles of the Ward Hunt ice shelf off Ellesmere Island west of Greenland that I reported on previously.
People opposed to action on global warming use three arguments most often: global warming is not caused by human activities, reducing CO2 will slow economic growth and really it's just an excuse for eco-liberals to create a neo-fascist nanny state to run everyone's life in an irritating and politically correct fashion.
There isn't much I can add to the debate on the first issue, but let's talk about the other two, with the help of the graph above which I found at the Canadian Green Party website.
You can find more posts on climate change science, policy, and news on Climate 411.
Have you ever spent time scrolling through NASA's image gallery? Some of the pictures are absolutely mesmerizing. I particularly like "Blue Marble" (below the fold), which was stitched together using satellite data.
Satellites provide more than pretty pictures, though. Our ability to understand and predict climate change depends on continuous high-quality satellite data.
Unfortunately, this critical data stream is threatened by budget cuts and lack of political support. In 2005, the National Academies assessed the situation and deemed it "alarming". Three years later, the outlook has not improved.
Follow me over the fold to learn more about why this is important, how this critical resource is threatened, and what the next administration needs to do about it.
As deforestation accelerates and grows ever more concentrated the consequences on climate change are even greater than previously thought. As reported in New Scientist:
Pristine temperate forest stores three times more carbon than currently estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and 60% more than plantation forests, according to research in Australia.
The VP rumors are running hot and heavy. Kaine? Bayh? Sibelius? Clark? Clinton? Biden? Every direction one looks, a different name.
Al
This choice will say something serious about Barack Obama's commitment to taking action on the greatest challenge that this nation, that humanity might ever have faced.
Al
This choice matters. And you have a chance to affect this choice.
You can find more posts on climate change science, policy, and news on Climate 411.
What does "wildlife conservation" mean to you? Setting aside land? Restoring habitat? Reducing local stresses to species or ecosystems? These are the conventional methods. But because of rapid climate change, scientists in a recent paper say this may not be enough:
[T]he future for many species and ecosystems is so bleak that assisted colonization might be their best chance.
Assisted colonization - moving species to sites where they aren't native - is a high-risk suggestion. There are many cases where introduced species have become invasive and wreaked havoc on economies, human health, and native ecosystems.
So why would some of the world's leading biologists make such a suggestion?
This is a review of James Gustave Speth's Bridge at the Edge of the World, intended as a supplement to the short review given of this book in the Monthly Review. Speth is a prominent environmentalist who has worked with the Democratic Presidential administrations of Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. His words, then, deserve our attention for their connections to political effectiveness.
"Today, I announced my endorsement of Bob Tuke to be the next U.S. Senator from my home state of Tennessee. I have known Bob for a long time, and I am glad to call him a close friend ... "
Earlier this year, Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to throw his muscle behind John McCain, citing the Senator's record of bipartisanship, as well as his alleged efforts to halt global warming. The former Mr. Olympia, in his appeal to voters, recruited his own ass to deliver the message of support. According to the LA times:
The Washington Post ran an article today discussing the passing of a 2004 ballot initiative in Colorado requiring that energy companies produce 10% of their electricity from renewable sources. The largest utility in the state, Xcel Energy, fought the initiative tooth and nail as you might expect, but they lost. Then, when they turned around and actually got to work on meeting the goal, they met it 8 years ahead of schedule and later agreed to double the goal. Musings below the fold on the incredible power of government policy to change incentives for energy producers for the better, and lessons the rest of the nation can take from this.
This week, NOAA webcam #1 was moved to a position similar to when I started doing these diaries in early July. There was no still image from the camera today; the last one was from 22:25 UTC yesterday. Temperature at that time was -2°C (28°F) with some ground fog beneath a clear sky.
I've also included an image from today from the "fisheye" lens webcam #3, taken 20:16 UTC, below.
Note the hoarfrost on the pole to the right and the precipitation gauge to the left. It's been colder this past week in the Arctic, at least the part where these webcams are located. See below for more analysis.
"much of the debate over global warming is predicated on fear, rather than science." I called the threat of catastrophic global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people"
More and more prominent scientists continue to speak out and dissent from man made global warming. In June, the Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever, declared himself a "skeptic" and said "global warming has become a new religion."
Gasoline prices recently have dropped back down into the $3.75 range from a high of over $4. This is, in the short term, a good thing, for everyone who uses gasoline on a regular basis - which means most Americans.
Gas prices over $4 were causing a significant amount of pain to many Americans. They were also beginning to induce us to modify behaviors that if peak oil (and later peak coal) and global climate change are occurring (and they are) need to be modified sooner rather than later. These behavior modifications include driving less and buying smaller, more fuel efficent cars.
We have an unpalatable choice to make as a society.
You might be surprised to find out that despite being the number three wind producer in the world, Spain is dead last among developed countries in meeting its Kyoto targets. In this diary we'll take a look at how that happened and why Spain (and the rest of the United States) needs a dose of Californication.
According to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the European Union is to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 8% relative to 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. Because at the time the agreement was signed, Spain was considered one of the less developed economies (it currently ranks 5th) among the then 15 European Union members (there are currently 27), its emissions target was set at a 15% rise over 1990 levels. (Greece, Ireland and Portugal were also allowed to grow their emissions.)
However, as of 2007, Spain is 52.3% above its Kyoto target and despite optimistic government promises that it can still meet the target it seems extremely unlikely that the Spanish will be able to reduce emissions by 35% relative to 1990 levels in only 4 years.
Finally I found the best supporting material to conclude man-made global warming is not scienctific theory: it's not testable.
If you want to find out more listen to Ken Miller, biology professor at Brown University:
Yes, I know this annoys many, and yes make my day and refute this. Ken Miller's fight is against creationism and intelligent design being thaught at school across the country. His opponents are conservative controlled board of education.
Is it because the birds are hanging out in places they are unaccustomed to? Or is it some new twist on kicking the dog after a bad day at work? From the BBC:
[P]olice in Devon arrested a 21-year-old man who had been luring gulls by throwing bread, before attempting to shoot them with a BB gun. The RSPB [Royal Society for the Protection of Birds] said there have also been reports of gulls being kicked or beaten to death. Garden birds like pied wagtails, blackbirds and blue tits have also been hit.
"The statistics and details that have come to light through this report are shocking and disgusting," Ms Atherton added.
A critical Republican campaign strategy is working when it comes to framing for the November election. Despite actual facts, media reporting increasingly reports that there is no difference of import between John McSame McCain and Barack Obama when it comes to the arenas of energy and Global Warming. Take David Kesterbaum's NPR report yesterday.
If you are trying to figure out whom to vote for in the upcoming presidential race, the issue of climate change may not be much help. This is one area where both leading candidates for president do not have a lot to disagree about.
Shallow, misinformed, and misleading reporting is about the most polite way to describe Kestenbaum's report which focuses solely on selected sound-bytes rather than the substance of the two candidates' positions.
There are fundamental differences between McSame's and Obama's positions and fundamental differences about the prospects for the future between President McSame and President Obama. Differences that Kesterbaum reporting will leave you ignorant about.
